Strength
by turquoise.seas
Summary: For as strong as we were apart, our strength together was unbeatable.


Okay.. story behind this is that Max and Fang are at the School, the rest of the flock is free. Fang and Max made a huge sacrifice so that the rest of their family could be free.

I don't own MR.

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_Fang_ POV

Her back arched involuntarily from the bed as her muscles convulsed again. The straps on her arms and legs kept her down, but I could see that she was fighting.

Of course.

Max's jaw was clamped tightly shut. I could see the knot standing out underneath her ear from the effort. She wouldn't give anyone the satisfaction of hearing her scream.

So she battled in silence.

It was as much torture for me to have to watch this as it was for Max to experience it. I _hated_ seeing her go through this. Hated it as much as I hated the people who kept us locked up here.

I held myself still with huge force of will, refusing to allow myself to prowl back and forth in front of the huge window that allowed me to see into Max's room. The guards that constantly shadowed me when I wasn't in my cage watched me warily, remembering what had happened to the last man who was in charge of me. I didn't even give them the satisfaction of looking at them. I kept my eyes locked on Max.  
She was what was important.

Her forehead and hair were soaked with sweat. She took a huge, heaving breath before the next shock wave radiated through her body.

A blaring buzzer split the silence and there was a flurry of activity inside the white room on the other side of the glass. My arms were secured roughly behind my back for the short walk back to the cages

I was shoved unceremoniously into my crate, where I crouched tensely to wait for Max to come back.

She arrived in slightly less than her usual style, being half-carried by a slightly unhappy-looking college kid. My jaw clenched at her obvious dependence on him to stay upright.

Her pale face was still clammy and from what I could see she was only half-conscious.

Feeling fiercely protective, I snarled at the boy who was bringing Max as he opened her cage door and flung her roughly in. He flinched slightly and retreated.

Max lay on the floor where she had landed. My heart dropped to my toes. "Max?" I scrambled over to where our cages touched, reaching a slightly shaking hand through to lie on her shoulder. Visions of the worst case scenarios were sprinting through my head until she stirred.

Her glazed eyes focused on my worried face before drifting shut again. "Ow." She chuckled weakly and forced her eyes to open again at my quick intake of air. "I'm fine. Just a little shocked, that's all."

I shook my head in despair at her awful pun. Her strength amazed me. "Take it easy. You had it pretty rough today."

Max gave me a shaky yet fierce grin. "It's worth it."

I let out a breath, taking in the familiar expression on her face. "As long as they're free, it's worth it."

Max nodded. She curled up on her side next to the bars of her cage so that she was facing me. "What do you think they're doing right now?"

I lay down on my side facing her. "Something better than what we're doing."

She laughed tiredly. "You're probably right – the conversation here is much less than stimulating."

"They're probably doing just fine," I said, feeling the need to reassure for some reason. "You should probably get some rest, Max."

"Yeah…" And with that, she was already half asleep, her face pale with exhaustion.

I slid my hand through the bars again to rest gently on the side of her neck. Only while feeling her comforting warmth and heartbeat on my palm could I relax.

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_Max _POV

I forced my eyes to open, immediately feeling the loss of Fang's presence. "Fang?" I murmured, still groggy.

I heard a grunt acknowledge me, but it came from outside the cage. I sat up, my body screaming in pain from yesterday's events. Fang was in the middle of the big, empty room that contained our cages. His arms were stretched painfully above his head; his wrists tied together and the rope secured to the ceiling. His scars stood out vividly against his dirty, bare chest.

"What did you do now, you troublemaker?" I rasped.

"Nothing," He said quietly. "They dragged me out here this morning before you woke up and said I'm having an inspection."

There was nothing that we could do but wait, so we did. Fang stood patiently, occasionally rolling his shoulders to relieve muscle cramps. I dozed off a few times, which was worrying Fang, I could tell.

Finally two men in white coats came into our room.

"This is him," one of them said, standing back deferentially for the other to inspect my best friend. He circled Fang, his steely eyes raking him up and down as he made notes on his chart. Fang stared back, eyes blank. _There's nothing wrong with him for you to find,_ I thought with small pride for my friend. It was true. Fang was nearly a perfect human specimen. There wasn't an ounce of extra fat on his torso. He was lean and athletic; a match for any regular human Olympian.

And then, of course, there were the wings.

The man inspecting Fang nodded sharply to the other. He whipped out a knife from who-knows-where and cut the rope down from the ceiling. Fang rolled his shoulders once, then stood calmly looking at his captors, his wrists still tied. "Do I pass?" He asked dryly.

They glanced at him, and then decided it was a reasonable enough question to answer. "Yes. You will be fighting in the arena today."

Fang's expression didn't change, but I sucked in a quick breath before I could control myself. Fang's eyes flew to me, checking to make sure I was all right. When he saw my panicked expression, his eyes softened. _I'll be fine._

The first whitecloak led out of the room, and the second shoved Fang to make him follow. Fang gave me one last long look with his expressionless face that said so much. Then he turned and followed the first man, back straight and head held high. He was like a gladiator, proud and strong as he strode to his impending death.

My heart ached as I watched his measured paces, but I knew that he would be back tonight.

He always was.

And sure enough, as I was jerked from restless dreams by scuffling and clanging doors, there he was. Bruised and bloody, but not yet defeated.

As I attempted to smooth away his pain, he gave me his fiercest smile through his warrior eyes.

For as strong as we were apart, our strength together was unbeatable.

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